Ultimate Guide to 4 Days in Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, wildlife, hot springs, geysers, hikes, mountains, and Old Faithful. These National Parks have been at the top of my bucket list and for good reason! To be honest, I wasn't sure what to exactly expect from Yellowstone but I was blown away by the diverse scenery and the crazy hypothermal features. In this blog, I take you through my best friend and I's 4 day trip through Salt Lake City, Utah, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I'll be listing all of the best things to do in these areas and everything you need to know before you go.

When to go:

We decided to book our trip for mid July. A big part of our decision for this month, was the weather. I don't know about you, but I cannot do cold weather. Cold weather means thicker clothes, jackets, and all of that sounds like more packing and less space for more outfits in your suitcase. But let me tell you, the weather in July was beyond perfect. Highs of around 75 and lows of around 55. For my girls out there, it's perfect weather to where your hair stays in place and you are not covered in sweat. We also went during the week days instead of a weekend. The idea behind this was because we did not want it to be too packed and going during the week was the perfect crowd.

Salt Lake City, Utah:

We flew Southwest for this trip and flew into Salt Lake City, Utah. Round trip tickets were around $215. When in Utah, we spent one day exploring Salt Lake City (which was more than enough time). We rented a car from the airport with Enterprise and we drove around Utah to the state capital, the public library, market street bridge, exchange place, temple square, and multiple coffee shops. Definitely worth the little trip just to say you explored it and been there, done that.

Yellowstone National Park/Wyoming:

After our day in Salt Lake City, Utah, we woke up early and began our drive to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The drive took around 5 hours. We stayed at Lake View Suites which was right outside of Yellowstone National Park (about a 15 minute drive to the park) and was reasonably priced with a beautiful view and continental breakfast. These suites were more like miniature cabins. Each morning we drove the 15 minutes to Yellowstone National Park and once in the park, would drive all around the park and stop at each of their best known and noteworthy sites and trails. Take your best hiking or active shoes because although you will be driving from site to site, each site has a good amount of walking distance. There is also gorgeous wildlife all throughout the park, however, the wildlife tends to come out in cooler weather so if you do plan to go in July just as we did, plan to wake up extra early to get the best chance of catching the wildlife out to play. Waking up early to catch the sunrise is also a must!

Grand Teton National Park:

What's nice about Grand Teton National Park is that it is right outside of Yellowstone. When trying to drive out of Yellowstone, you will have to drive by or through Grand Teton and it is definitely worth the stop and extending your trip. The park itself is worth staying for a couple of days. It won't be as packed as Yellowstone, but there is still a good crowd of people. It is similar to Yellowstone in the sense that there are geysers, wildlife, trails, hot springs, lakes, etc. We drove through Grand Teton on an early morning and spent the day exploring the park. There is even a boat cruise they offer for about $30 dollars that tours you around the park. I would say that one of the main differences between the two parks is that Grand Teton has more open land/less to see and Yellowstone has more to do as far as hikes and mountains and scenic routes.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming:

Since we needed to drive back to Salt Lake City, Utah to catch our flight back home, we had to drive out of Wyoming and on the way out was the cutest little town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson Hole is a must stop. It almost feels and looks like a little town straight out of a Hallmark Movie with a country twist. Whether you stop to stay a while or stop to grab a bite to eat, shop around their boutiques and giftshops, or to walk around, it will not disappoint.

Recommendations:

• If you are looking to plan a trip to Utah, Yellowstone, or Wyoming, I would highly recommend renting a car because everything is within driving range and it is much easier and faster to drive around Yellowstone rather than try to Uber to Yellowstone and walk around yourself. Same with Grand Teton. Most of the park sites are too far apart from each other to walk. Another perk to driving is you can easily "state hop" and go through and to all the nearby states and see what they have to offer as well.

• The food was OK. Don't go into this trip expecting to be blown away by the food. We tried all different kinds of foods from Italian to Mexican and were unimpressed but to be expected because South Texas food will always remain undefeated.

• Spend a little extra to stay close to Yellowstone. All the cabins and hotels near Yellowstone are pricey but worth it because you are already within park range and near the main strip where all the shops, restaurants, and activities are.

Overall, the trip was a 10/10 and what made all the difference was being able to freely drive around all these different parts and stop wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. If you need help planning out your trip, reach out to me. I am happy to help and answer any questions!

Xoxo, Tess